


What happens in the closet

by Amitola12, bluefeathergirl



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Canon Divergent, F/F, First Time, Life in the Horde (She-Ra), Remember, canonverse, catradora, closet shenanigans, fuck the world baby it’s just you and me, portal world, smut is on chapter 2
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-06
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-18 03:53:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29237136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amitola12/pseuds/Amitola12, https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluefeathergirl/pseuds/bluefeathergirl
Summary: Everything was perfect. Or at least, that’s what everyone around Adora keeps telling her. Especially her best friend Catra. But when Adora realizes just how not perfect everything is, she decides to make the best of the end of the world: by taking what she’s always wanted.
Relationships: Adora & Catra (She-Ra), Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 60





	What happens in the closet

**Author's Note:**

> This was an idea I had when watching the episode "Remember" from season 3 in the scene when Adora grabbed Catra by the arm and shoved her into the closet to "talk." It was inevitable. 
> 
> A big, huge appreciative thank you goes to my friend, [Amitola12](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amitola12), for collaborating with me, and helping me to put and sort into beautiful words what I struggled with in my head but could not release easily. Thanks for giving me the chance to work with you.
> 
> PS: There will be smut incoming in chapter 2. This was *coughs* "supposed" to be a one-shot. Yeah. Well. Now it's a 2 chapter one-shot. You're welcome ;)

Nothing was right about this world. It took Adora some time to figure out something was amiss, only striking her with austere clarity during the force captain briefing. She rubbed her head in abject confusion, the monumental knowledge that things weren’t _right_ crashing over her mid-meeting. The details were foggy at best; a jumbled mix of real and not real that waged a war in her head.

A nigh imperceptible flicker of light flashed before she found herself in a corridor outside the meeting room with zero recollection of walking herself there. She had been trying to explain what she knew to be the absolute truth to her fellow captains. Things were _not_ perfect. Why no one else seemed to believe that something was off was beyond her.

But Adora couldn’t trust these people; there was only one person in the Horde that she could depend on. The person she woke up with in the mornings, the final face she saw each night, and the woman who was the first to assure her that everything was, in fact, perfect. It was that word, that bastard ideal, that made her realize that her best friend knew way more than she let on. Catra had been awfully cheerful and nonchalant as of late-- not exactly her modus operandi.

She had to find her immediately, because together they could overcome anything. Sprinting through the hallways as quickly as she could, Adora found what she was looking for as she turned a corner sharply. There was Catra deep in conversation with a few of her fellow squadmates. The force captain marched up to the chatting feline, wasting no time by greeting any of her subordinates, Catra included.

“Oh, hey, Ado--” was all the magicat managed to say before Adora yanked her arm, pulling her along. Catra tried to protest at being literally dragged down the hallway, but the bold action also excited her. Adora didn’t act like this; not in the real world. Maybe she did in Catra's wildest fantasies. The ones where Adora was on top of her, rough and decisive, as she begged for the blonde to take her over the edge again and again. But those were strictly Catra’s private business and not something she would ever admit to picturing, let alone lusting so voraciously over.

Ignoring her best friend’s objections entirely as they moved down the hallway, Adora finally halted their march in front of a thick, metal door. It had no visible handle nor any window to see what resided within. She entered a code that only her privileged self knew, pushing Catra inside immediately as soon as it slid open in response to her password. The door slammed behind Adora automatically with a stirring finality.

“You’ve officially lost it! What do you think you’re doing?” The magicat whirled around to face her, but...who was this Adora? Her childhood mate would never treat her so harshly, so what new person stood before her, chest heaving, face red, golden locks splaying over her forehead? Catra didn’t recognize this blonde stranger, so frightening and yet so lovely in her radiating power. The line between the two, friend or foe, seemed blurred at the moment. Catra was seething, her teeth bared, as she sought to pacify her confusion in the way she knew best, with anger.

Adora leveled her gaze, unperturbed by the piercing tone she was accused with. No tantrum would sway her from her task; they needed to address what was happening to the world around them. And this time, they needed to stay _together_. Adora was certain of that fact, she could not let the willful feline escape or refuse to join her once again. Though hushed as to not overwhelm them in the tiny enclosed space, her voice still came out sturdy and unflinching. “I had to get you alone.”

Catra shrunk under the steely blue watch, stomach quivering at the tone the words were delivered in. Her mismatched eyes briefly took in her surroundings, grumbling inwardly with a curl of her lips at why something as mundane as a _supply closet_ would require a force captain’s code for admittance. She scoffed at the extra security, until her attention ran across the supply of extra tasers perched on a nearby shelf. _Ah, that explains it_ , the magicat thought, _Certainly don’t want any Kyles on the force getting ahold of one of those unsupervised._

Instantly, the hostility that had been taking root within her faded. She may be cornered, but if Adora’s _intensity_ continued, the blonde would only get what was coming to her. Catra was assured that with her agility, she could reach the weapon long before the blonde made even one move that she didn’t like. Though with the acutness that Adora was currently appraising her with, the way the tempered pale eyes of her best friend traced her form and every motion she made... the taser was a plan to be enacted only as a last resort. The situation was far too intriguing to allow for yet another of Catra’s most hasty, irreversible decisions.

Adora viewed the countenance of her best friend as she adjusted to her surroundings, the flashes of ire yielding to undaunted calm. She had followed the path the magicat’s eyes made towards the shelves and their present stock. The corner of Adora’s mouth twitched up in grim amusement as she saw Catra’s plan take shape. _You think you need to taser me?_ The blonde snarked in her own head, incredulous. But the absurdity of the moment also gave her pause; obviously something was making Catra feel threatened and that needed to be examined. Despite the urgency of the situation pressing at the back of her mind, Adora inhaled deeply and took a moment to soften her body language. She let her face relax from its determined set, rolled some life and elasticity into her shoulders, and faced Catra with unguarded, open eyes. Though still as hushed, there was a pleading cadence when she chose to finally address the woman. “Really, kitten? It’s me.”

Catra’s tail slumped towards the floor as soon as the achingly familiar endearment left the blonde’s lips. She was defenseless against that pet name. It was a special arrow in Adora’s quiver that only she could possibly hope to get away with. If anyone else called her that, they’d be torn to shreds before they finished the second syllable. Then Catra would calmly lick her claws clean as she let the offender bleed out at her feet. But coming from her Adora... She could never hurt her. And despite the weirdness of the situation they found themselves in, Catra knew without question that Adora would never harm her. Considering the tasers at all was a reflex born from years of training to always have a back-up plan and secure a way out by any means necessary. But as she watched the blonde loosen into herself again, Catra was assured that leaving was the furthest from what she wanted to do. She gave a small shake of her unruly curls, letting her shoulders unfurl to match Adora’s posture. “No, not really. But do you mind telling me what the fuck’s going on?”

The force captain took a moment to compose herself; relieved that she wouldn’t need to prevent her best friend from trying anything incredibly ill-advised against her. Though finding and securing Catra had been at the forefront of her mind, the buzzing chaos of what was happening to the world never stopped for an instance. She struggled to form some sort of relative cohesion, knowing how important it was to make Catra see reason. But to explain something that was barely on the periphery of her own understanding and to expect that the listener would then accept it as gospel was all the more challenging. Still, she had to try, if only for them. “Everything is completely out of control. I’m forgetting things… Or maybe just not remembering them? Either way, I can’t trust that what’s happening is what’s really _supposed_ to be happening.”

_She knows, she remembers._ Catra gulped back the thought, willing her panic to stay closely packed in her chest. She arched an eyebrow to cover her own anxiety. “Supposed to be happening? What the hell are you talking about, Adora?” Her tail flicked back and forth behind her to the staccato rhythm of her frantic heart. Catra hoped the blonde was too perplexed to notice the furry tell to her guilt. She forced herself to lean against one of the racks that lined the walls of the supply closet they found themselves in, transformed into the picture of feigned indifference. “C’mon, everything is perfect! Except for the fact that you put us in the closet for some reason. You should know that’s no way to live...” A devilish smirk was tossed in the blonde’s direction, an offering she hoped Adora would accept. _Please, it could be perfect if you just let it be._

Adora threw up her arms in exasperation and began to pace back and forth. The short distance she had to walk through only irritated her all the more. She gave up, placing her head against a thick wall, and groaning deeply. The smile quickly faded off her best friend’s face as Catra watched the reaction. The blonde willed herself to take several deep breaths and get a hold of herself. Nothing made sense; things that felt real probably weren’t and once again, Catra was telling her to just blindly accept it! Did she truly believe that things were as they should be and was Adora mistaken? She lifted her head to set her gaze on the lithesome feline woman. Could the galaxy of freckles across the bridge of her nose ever lie to her? Would the gently sculpted arms that were as quick to shove her as they were to drape about her shoulders in affection possibly lead her astray? If she couldn’t trust Catra with her whole being, then what was the point of the world anyway? Continuing to study the woman in front of her, Adora was struck with the irrefutable knowledge that whatever existed between them… was so real and potent. And their current situation held definite possibilities. Let everything go to hell; Adora was going to finally do what _she_ wanted. Catra was hers even at the end of the world.

She stepped away from the closet door, closing the short distance that existed between them. Adora reached out and wrapped her arm around the other woman’s waist, pulling her close. Her hand fit perfectly against Catra’s hips, the soft heat from the downy fur that enveloped the woman’s body radiating through the leather of her uniform. Adora’s fingers twitched with the desire to feel her, unhindered by clothing of any kind. She swallowed thickly, pushing the thought away for now. “Something is off, Catra, and I think you know it, too… But I’ve also decided that I don’t care.”

The magicat’s brain stuttered for a moment at the way Adora held her. Touch was common between them, but this was so intimate and revealing. She felt like a dear, precious thing in Adora’s tender grasp and the thought riled up the oozing shame within the pit of her heart. Catra beat down the guilt until it was back to a festering speck. _Don’t take this from me yet, not when it could be perfect,_ she begged of her conscience. She cleared her throat. “Probably for the best, because I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Her insistence sounded feeble and unconvincing even to her own ears. The speck of guilt rose up in revolt at the lie, instantly crushing the feeling of warmth that came from the way Adora’s arm was still firmly around her. Unable to retaliate against the enemy within her own mind, she gave the blonde a harsh shove instead. “Get off of me, already! Not sure when you decided that you could just do whatever the hell you want with me...”

Any other person would have stumbled backwards or at least been rocked by that forceful of a push. But Adora was a grounded warrior with a clear goal in mind. She knew that Catra’s actions did not coincide with her feelings and she wasn’t going to let the feline’s little games get in the way any longer. “Catra. Please stop fighting.” Adora loosened her grip, though still maintained a light hold. She scrutinized her best friend carefully; pouring over the condescending twist of her mouth, how the flickers of want danced in her azure and topaz eyes, even as she tried to push Adora away in any way she could. Catra was a mess of conflicting desires and pressures, but it was time to get things out in the open, once and for all. “Enough. I know you want me, Catra. But if you want to leave, you can. You say the word and I’ll open the door. Or you can stay here and... we can just see what happens. I’ll give you some space to decide.” The blonde let go of the magicat’s hip, fingers gently brushing her side, before stepping away. She was more or less assured of what Catra's decision would be but especially after so hurriedly pulling them into this closet in the first place, Adora needed to let her make the final call on her own.

Catra stayed poised in her spot, tail lashing back and forth behind her. Her left ear flicked in irritation that she hadn’t been able to budge the blonde an inch. But that was a mere deflection from her true uncertainties: did Adora really want this or was this just a byproduct of her perfect world? Could this happen, just as she’d dreamed it for so long? As she stared into her best friend’s eyes, searching for the answers to the anxieties that plagued her mind, the blonde gave her a small, tender smile. The one Catra knew was reserved only for _her_ in their quietest, most private moments. The thought made her heart flutter with selfish warmth and it was all the answer she needed, even if admitting it out loud would be so difficult. She dropped her head, eyes boring into the floor. “... You know my answer.”

Two rushed footsteps before a gentle hand lifted her chin up, the tiniest smirk splayed across the blonde’s lips. “I do, but I want to hear you say it.”

“Adora…” Catra whined, physically unable to summon the words from her mouth.

“Say it, Catra.” Adora’s thumb traced along Catra’s slightly parted lips. They opened more and she followed the outline of the woman’s razor canines. The absolute trust and faith the blonde had in Catra made the feline melt. “Say you want me.”

“I want you…” Catra pulled her head away from Adora’s hold, eyes firmly trained to the ground, and her shoulders hunched in forfeit. The absolute degradation and humiliation stemming from a fear of self-preservation inherent in admitting such a thing… But she even took it one step further. Catra spoke softly, barely a whisper Adora’s ears would be able to detect. “I always have.”

Adora quickly drew their hands together. She felt the pricks of Catra’s claws sink into the tops of her own, certain any moment skin would be broken under their piercing grasp. She didn’t care. Let the magicat rend her flesh, let Adora bleed, anything to make sure Catra never let go. “I feel the same way, Catra. I don’t know what’s going on, but I know I want to spend whatever time we have left with you.”

Two-toned eyes raised to stare incredulously into steely blue ones. She watched Adora’s face come closer and closer to her own, unable to accept this might truly happen in _any_ reality. When their lips met, Catra gave a choked sob, immediately trying to pull away. It was too much, _too_ perfect. She didn’t deserve this, not after all she had done to put them here in the first place.

Adora’s hand shot to the back of her head, keeping their lips pinned together. She wasn’t going to let Catra fight this any longer. She worked her mouth against Catra’s, trying to ease the woman into accepting. She pressed hard, parting Catra’s mouth open to let her tongue delve and explore. The magicat finally relented, and allowed her tongue to meet Adora’s own, a synchronized moan emanating from deep within both women at the first brush.

When they finally broke apart, Adora tucked Catra’s mane behind her ear and let her fingers run along the woman’s jaw before regarding her firmly. “Ready to see what we can get up to in here?”

Catra nodded mutely, still awestruck by her first kiss with Adora, the woman of her undying affection. Her body thrilled at being in such a tight, low-lit space with the other woman. But she couldn’t let Adora know the effect she was having on her, at least not that easily and quickly wrapped up that vulnerable part of herself into the protective armor of snark. She would have to work for it; Catra was someone to be earned, not given freely. “Well, dummy, you got me alone, just like you wanted. What now?”

“Honestly? We should probably be trying to figure out why the world is collapsing and just generally going nuts.” Adora shrugged. “Or, um, I could kiss you again?”


End file.
